Water cooler attachment for automobiles



' Filed Oct. 15, 1954 May 17, 1955 B. v. cooK ET AL 2,708,540

WATER COOLER ATTACHMENT. FOR AUTOMOBILES 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS BETTY v. 00oz, Bag av a. come,-

ATTOIQNEYS.

May 17, 1955 B. v. COOK El AL 2,708,540

WATER COOLER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Oct. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS BETTY 4/. coo

A TTOENEYS United States Patent WATER COOLER ATTACHLIENT FOR AUTOMOBILES Betty V. Cook and Bobby D. Cook, Talco, Tex.

Application October 15, 1954, Serial No. 462,532

2 Claims. (Cl. 226-461) This invention relates to a device adapted to be mounted under the instrument panel of an automobile in aconveniently accessible, but noninterfering position, and adapted to serve as a spigot type water cooler from which ice water or other cooling drinks can be dispensed.

Ordinarily, one desiring to take a refreshing, cooled liquid on an automobile journey is required to carry either a Thermos bottle, or alternatively, a large insulated jug of the type having a spigot. In either instance, the situation is undesirable, the Thermos bottle because it usually is not of sufiicient size to hold a substantial quantity of the liquid, and the jug because it is unwieldy, unhandy, and usually must be disposed at a location in which it interferes with the comfort of the passengers.

In view of the above, it is proposed in accordance with the present invention to provide a water cooler in the nature of a rectangular portable structure capable of being readily mounted in position below and inwardly from the conventional instrument panel of the vehicle, in which position the cooler is readily accessible for dispensing of its contents, said cooler being adapted to support a stack of paper cups in position for convenient use of the uppermost cup.

Another object of importance is to so design the means for supporting the cooler as to permit said cooler to be readily mounted in position upon the dashboard and firewall of any various makes or styles of automobiles.

Another object of importance of the invention is to so design the water cooler as to include an outer casing having an open front, said outer casing having a cooler suspending means attached thereto, and an inner casing or liquid receptacle having an open top, but a closed front, with the open top of the inner casing being provided with a hinged lid to facilitate filling of the same, the spigot being provided in the front wall of the inner casing, said inner casing being slidable, drawer fashion, into and out of the outer casing through the open front thereof.

Another object of importance is to provide, in the paper cup support means, a foldable assembly that can be conveniently extended or retracted, whichever is desired.

Another object of importance is to provide a water cooler as described which will, desipte the particular convenience thereof and the adaptability thereof for holding a substantial quantity of liquid, be nevertheless capable of manufacture at a relatively low cost, and will be rugged, sanitary, and trouble free in use.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended hereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the interior of a vehicle with a water cooler formed in accordance with the present invention mounted under the instrument panel thereof;

2,708,540 Cg Patented May 17, 1955 Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of Figure 3 in which the inner casing has been taken out of the outer casing.

The reference numeral 10 generally designates an instrument panel of a vehicle, and the reference numeral 11, the firewall thereof. At 12 there has been designated the water cooler constituting the present invention.

The water cooler includes a rectangular outer casing 14 closed at its bottom, top, ends, and back, but formed with an open front. All the walls of the outer casing are of double walled, insulative formation as shown in Figure 4, in a preferred embodiment. However, other insulation type walls can be used, so long as they serve efficiently in keeping the contents of the cooler cold.

Pivotally connected at 15 to the mid-length portion of the top wall of outer casing 14, and aligned withone another transversely of the top wall, are turnbuckles 16 extending upwardly from the outer casing and formed at their upper ends with aligned eyes 18 slidably receiving the opposite ends of a horizontally extending turnbuckle 20 provided at its respective extremities with rounded rubber feet 21 adapted to press against the firewall and instrument panel respectively.

By reason of this arrangement, regardless of the distance between the firewall and instrument panel and regardless also of the differences in the shape thereof, the water cooler can be fixedly mounted in place, merely by extension of the turnbuckle 20 to engage the same against the firewall ends and instrument panel, after which the turnbuckles 16 are shortened to bring the front edge portion of the top wall of the outer casing into engagement with the usual rearwardly directed bottom flange of the instrument panel as shown in Figure 2. This holds the water coler against pivotal movement, and suspends it in a stationary position.

In this connection, it may be desirable to shorten the back turnbuckle 16 to a greater extent than the front turnbuckle, so as to slant the water cooler slightly toward the front thereof, whereby to cause all the liquid remaining in the device to flow to the vicinity of the dispensing spigot.

An inner casing 22 of rectangular formation slides into and out of the open front of the outer casing, and snugly engages in the outer casing when fully recessed therein. The inner casing 22 is permanently closed at its front, back, ends, and bottom, and is formed with an open top normally closed by a lid 24 hinged to the top edge of the back wall, as at 26.

A handle 28 secured to the front wall of the inner casing facilitates the sliding of the same into and out of the outer casing, and at the bottom of the front wall there is provided a conventional push button dispensing faucet 30.

A paper cup holder includes a pair of legs 32, 34 pivotally connected to one another at their inner ends, the leg 32 being pivotally connected at 36, at its upper end, to a depending bracket secured to their under side of the bottom wall of the outer casing. The lower or free end of the leg 34 has fixedly secured thereto a downwardly tapering paper cup holder 38 adapted to hold a stack of complementarily shaped tapering paper cups, not shown. Ordinarily, the paper cup holder is folded to a collapsed position as shown in Figure 2, but when it is desired to fill one of the paper cups, it is extended straight downwardly, as in Figures 1 and 4, to dispose the uppermost paper cup under the dispensing faucet. Should any water run over, it will drop into the next paper cup of the stack, so as to prevent running of the water or other liquid refreshment over the vehicle floor.

It will be seen that the device can be readily installed in any vehicle, regardless of the particular make or size of said vehicle. Once installed, the device can he left permanently in place, and will remain stationarily mounted, in a conveniently accessible, but noninterfering location as will be readily apparent from Figure 1. Even though the outer casing is fixedly mounted in this position, the inner casing can be swiftly removed to permit the lid 24 to be swung upwardly, thereby to facilitate filling of the inner casing. The removal of the inner casing, of course, permits it to be cleaned at a remote location, so as to be kept sanitary, and once the inner casing has been cleaned and filled with a suitable liquid, it is recessed within the outer casing and is ready for the dispensing of said liquid.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessariiy confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention eomprehends any minor changes in construction that may be permitted Within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A water cooler for automobiles adapted to be mounted below the instrument panel of an automobile, comprising an outer casing; means on said outer casing for engaging the same against an automobile instrument panel, the outer casing having an open front; an inner casing adapted to slide into and out of the outer casing through the open front thereof, said inner casing having an open top; a lid hinged in the open top of the inner casing to permit filling of the same with a selected liquid; means projecting beyond the open front of the outer casing mounted upon the inner casing for dispensing said ill liquid; and means below said dispensing means for supporting a quantity of paper cups, said last named means including hingedly connected legs pivotally depending from the outer casing and adapted to be swung between collapsed and extended positions, and a paper cup holder on one of said legs, said legs in their extended position disposing said holder below the dispensing means. 1

2. A water cooler for an automobile having a fire wall and an instrument panel comprising a rectangular outer casing having a fiat top Wall and an open front; means for mounting said outer .casing in suspended position from the fire wall and instrument panel, including a hori- Zontally extending turnbuckle adapted to engage the fire Wall and the instrument panel at its respective, opposite extremities; depending turnbuckles slidably engaging the first turnbuckle at their upper ends, and means pivotally connecting said last named turnbuckles to the top wall of the outer casing, said second named turnbuckles when shortened in the extended position of the upper turnbuckle being adapted to bring the top wall of the outer easing into engagement with the underside of the instrument panel to hold the outer casing in a stationary position below the instrument panel; an inner casing mounted drawer fashion in the outer casing to move into and out of the open front of the outer casing, said inner casing having a closed front; and dispensing means on the closed front of the inner casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jackson Feb. 6, 1954 

